Asia
Thailand launches matchmaking campaign to boost birth rate
Thailand has launched a matchmaking campaign as the birth rate fell to its lowest level - 1.51 children per woman last year, well below the population replacement level of 2.1 births per woman.
S. Korea expects 3 more homegrown COVID-19 treatments in H1
Three homegrown treatments for the novel coronavirus are expected to receive approval as early as the first half of this year as the country speeds up the approval process amid the pandemic.
Global air passenger traffic falls record 66% in 2020 amid pandemic
Global air passenger traffic in 2020 sank a record 65.9 percent from the year before amid tighter border controls due to the coronavirus pandemic, with a rebound to around half of 2019 levels expected this year, an industry group said.
Myanmar coup leader: 'Join hands' with army for democracy
Myanmar's coup leader used the country's Union Day holiday on Friday to call on people to work with the military if they want democracy, a request likely to be met with derision by protesters who are pushing for the release from detention of their country's elected leaders.
Malaysian PM is first recipient of COVID-19 vaccine
Malaysian Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin will be the first person to receive the COVID-19 vaccine when the national vaccination programme is implemented in the country later this month.
BTS hit 'DNA' exceeds 1.2 bln views on YouTube
Global superstar BTS has set another record on YouTube, with its music video for the 2017 song "DNA" earning 1.2 billion views on YouTube, the band's agency said Thursday.
China bans BBC news broadcasts
China has banned BBC World News from airing in China, one week after threatening to retaliate for the revocation of the British broadcasting license for China’s state-owned CGTN.
India, China begin troop withdrawal from contested border
China and India are pulling back front-line troops from disputed portions of their mountain border where they have been in a standoff for months, both countries said.
India glacier disaster: Families join search for survivors
As hundreds of rescue workers scoured muck-filled ravines and valleys on Tuesday looking for survivors after the sudden collapse of a Himalayan glacier, distraught relatives gathered at the disaster site to search for family members, almost resigned to the likelihood they were dead.
Japan drugmaker hit with longest-ever suspension over violations
A Japanese drugmaker was ordered Tuesday to suspend its business for 116 days, the longest such order ever imposed on a pharmaceutical company in the country, after systematically making up fictitious production records on nearly 80 percent of its 500 products.